Juventus 2-1 AC Milan Match Review and Player Ratings

Player Ratings

Buffon – No chance on the goal, was mainly a spectator for much of the game and made just the one comfortable save in the second half. 6

Bonucci – Fairly average performance by the big fella and yet he joined the late charge high up the field and was unlucky to see his perfect assist for Higuain put wide. 6.5

Benatia – Took his goal superbly, played a terrible pass which put Buffon in trouble and emptied his tank by the last quarter. His price is reasonable, and if we can be certain of his fitness and rotate him into the starting XI more often, to allow him to forge cohesion with his team mates, I am fine with his signing. 6.5

Barzagli – I have mentioned this previously and I hope Allegri now understands that a 35 year old CB is not a safe fit for the modern fullback position. He does not have the legs. Had Lichsteiner been playing we would not have conceded. Hard to blame Andrea as its not his natural game. 5

Asamoah – Solid, and back to his best at both ends of the field. 7

Pjanic – Found it hard going with a packed AC midfield, which he was unable to bypass. His set piece deliveries were also below par, though he did come close with a shot which the giant toddler pushed up onto the bar. 5.5

Khedira – Unable to capitalise on several presentable chances, yet dug in and fought hard when the visitors found a brief period of belief in more than playing for a point. 6

Alves – Deployed higher up the field and provided the perfect assist for our opener. As is often the case, his tricks caused some concern, yet he was generally tide on the ball. One of the better crossers in the team which allows him to prove viable in the RW role. 7

Pjaca – It is great to see him playing more regularly and we must take on board how little competitive action he has under his belt. Still, as direct and potent as he was, the youngster missed two glorious opportunities to put the game to bed, then faded before finally giving way to Kean. 6

Dybala – Still whining and rolling around too much for my liking but his football was decent. Showed superb mental steel to tuck away the penalty in such a moment of high tension. 7

Higuain – Guilty of missing several superb openings, yet always a threat. He can make up for it on Tuesday when Porto come to town. 6

Kindly excuse my lack of zeal, for my mood is deeply glum after finding myself finally caught by the Highway Patrol whilst practising my cornering at high speed on my two wheeled devil steed en route to the beach. A 6 month ban awaits alongside a $600 fine and yet more points on a licence which now reads like a rap sheet of a career criminal. It was probably my most perfect run of the twisting back roads to the beach, every overtake felt sublime, I was the thunder and lightning combined, carving my way through traffic, rolling on the power at the perfect point of each apex and roaring on the straights. Still, there is probably some sense to the ban and the punishment could have been far worse, given they had been chasing me for a while before they got close enough for me to see them, yet I was locked in a tunnel vision rocket man on two wheels routine. Blinkered to everything but oncoming cars, the road surface and the eagerness to maintain my high octane pace.

And so onto the football…

We were clearly the dominant force throughout, yet AC made a great fight of it. They created two chances, took one. We created 12 and took 2. Donnarumma was in brilliant form, and deservedly Man of The Match.

There was a five minute spell in the second when we dropped off, other than which we were constantly pushing for openings, applying concerted pressure to a side very much set up to defend and hit on the counter. Again we were guilty of spurning numerous chances and I hope we are saving a step towards more clinical conversion for when we face our next opponents in the Champions League.

Other than the steady flow of cards, there was of course a fair amount of controversy.

Firstly, Zapata stood on Dybala’s foot in the box. This could have been given had it been noticed, yet as the ball fell to Pjaca who went close, it was soon forgotten.

Next was Bacca’s goal, which was a few inches offside.

Finally the penalty which was given. Lichsteiner blasting in a cross, De Sciglio turning to block and his hand indeed stopping the ball. This is a tricky one. Some refs would give it, others would not. Whilst the player was close to where the ball was played, the manner in which he moved his body – whilst natural – certainly stopped the cross going in with his hand. For me its 50/50. More important was the beautiful spot kick taken by Dybala, under huge pressure.

It was a very entertaining game. We played well throughout and on the balance of chances, should have won far more comfortably. However, the manner of victory is just what we needed before the crunch tie with Porto. Our heckles are up, confidence must be flowing through the ranks, and we have the perfect platform to make a serious statement of intent.

I am impressed with the work Montella is doing and respectful of his post match comments, which refused to add fuel to the fire. The flames of which are rooted in this bizarre idea that Juve consistently receive preferential treatment from the officials.

Man of the Match Donnarumma kept the scoreline respectable.

We were wrongly mauled in 2006. Effectively punished by Moratti cronies who were placed at the FIGC, for what amounts to violations of the sporting code akin to insulting linesman. This apparently pro-juve football system then went onto charge and convict Conte, in a case in which 24 players were deemed non credible witnesses and 1 player – a proven match fixer eager to get his punishment reduced – was deemed credible. Indeed, 24 players could well have been taking a piss at the same time as Conte directed his devious plan!

There is far more damming evidence to confirm that the FIGC have been on a witch hunt with Juve as their target for many moons. Also that Inter officials were rigging matches. Yet this is not mass disseminated. As many people who still believe those bothersome WMD will be found in Iraq, believe Juve are cheats. Most people follow the headlines, consume spoonful after spoonful of MSM bullshit then ask for seconds. They know only what they are told by a media empire demonstrably corrupt and deceitful. The absence of critical thinking in humanity of the West is growing worse by the hour. No questioning, no challenge, nothing but total obedience to an extremely well oiled propaganda machine. Which reminds me of ranting at a chum recently…I asked him :

“mate, do you not find anything wrong, anything strange, anything appallingly questionable about Assad – who was accused of using chemical weapons – inviting to Damascus UN chemical weapons inspectors, and launching a chemical weapons attack next door to them the next day? This is the same as me being investigated for murder, the police turn up to question me, and I place them in the living room, go to make a cup of tea, then head next door to cut the throats of my neighbours…It makes no sense whatsoever??”

His response, a little sheepish, was:

‘mate, it was all over the news…’

Indeed! Case closed.

It is a similar story with the widespread opinion that Juve were convicted of match fixing and basically own the FIGC. It is ‘true’ because it was ‘all over the news’…speaking of which, I remain unsure what happened to comrade Gaddafi’s shares in the club? Who got them? The french, english or yankees I suppose, since they took everything else from The Colonel and his country.

There is little point debating this with others who have long been tuned in to the nonsense channels which bombard them from every angle. It is best to simply try to ignore the drivel and focus on the football. As Allegri does. For to find our players reacting to the furore, distracts them from the matter in hand, which is a potential treble, in the least a historic 6th straight league title on the trot. The latter is looking more likely, week by week, and as for the former…We will know more in due course.

Another 3 points, 31 home league victories in succession, no new injuries and a job well done by Max and the lads.

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Tough news on the speeding man… I always do my law breaking speed in my fast chariot at night here in sunny Lincolnshire. We have few police during the daylight hours, none at night.

The penalty was fair enough, as you say some would give some not. It was not hand to ball, but the ball did get too contaminated by the deflection to not give it imho. Great penalty by PD – yes I don’t like his current attitude either. Even his celebrations are arrogant now do you not think? Bacca’s finish was top notch too. I think ACM could be a force again with a couple more top players. They were decent.

Well my friend, I can relate…for I used to regularly blast around on my CBR600 back home, at much faster rates than I venture here in Melbourne. There were rarely any police. I was stopped once in a decade, on christmas eve, tearing through a village through driving rain at probably 120mph. Other than which I flashed past a police car on the motorway when hitting close to 150…yet they were going in the opposite direction. No dice. Here though, they are fucking ubiquitous. Always hiding, in amped up high pursuit vehicles. Too much of the englishman left in me perhaps. Ahh…I wrote about other connected concerns here>https://netrider.net.au/threads/old-man-boy-racer-caught-by-the-fuzz.237008/#post-3148167

As for the game…Yes I have seen develop in Dybala much I dislike. His form is fine, he remains a diamond often in the rough. Often signs of world class talent, yet his arrogance is getting ahead of his development. He asserts a sense of entitlement and stretches it with his rolling over and over, and expecting a free kick whenever he loses the ball. COntrast this with Gonzalo, who is a very fair player, never rolls over, is made of far sterner stuff. ALves actually took a couple of mealy tackles and didnt complain, which is rare. Cuadrado does get mauled often, and since he has such immense pace, its easy for him to perform acrobatics. Its the manner in which they return with seconds of apparent agony to fine, which grates.

Dybala is already getting close to ROnaldo worthiness of fakery. Yet he has not yet the talent to lessen the blow of such a conclusion.

Aside from which, and its a decent thing to find 1-3 of a squad liable to cause this kind of irritation, Bonucci is often guilty of similar theatrics. He is a big lad, and yet a palm to the face can see him poleaxed, close to crying, then back on his feet.

Id happily get rid of all three. Bring in Spinoza (hohoho!) Isco and promote Rugani to starter, whilst investing in a powerful CB. I simply cannot stand the theatrics.

Dar Black

Blimey, read the linked post – they sound like nice cops to mess with it! Mind you, I have never looked at or thought of speed cops the same way since I read Stephen King’s novel Desperation…..

Bjarke Broby

Where does one sign up as a regular? Really, it is keeping me out of this most awesome Juvepage I have attended. So, I am from Copenhagen, Denmark –
trained and educated historian –
but first of all a fan of my beloved Juventus – since Platini, Laudrup and later Baggio. I really do not understand disqogs, I guess…

BelgianJuventino

I guess you just did mate! Welcome to posting! I studied history too actually, what a coincidence!

Lots of new people around these days, many of them gems of people in their own way.

BelgianJuventino

For me you are spot on regarding Benatia. I think he is a good player who could be a starter but he has too many injuries, is too close to 30years old in an already old defense – everyone in BBC is at least 30 – and we have Rugani who needs all the minutes he can get.

For me personally, there is no need to sign Benatia permanently. Add Caldara to the ranks, perhaps another youngster CB and let them develop onder the wings of BBC, I dont see Barzagli at Juve for longer than the end of next season anyway.

Welcome to the forums, my friend! I hope to see you around more often…

And unfortunately the above was more encouraging and positive towards Medhi than I have been in the past, yet I could have made of the fact this goal against AC earned him a niche in my heart for all time!

I think he is fine for the money, just still question his fitness. Which he has struggled with for several years now. We will not see the best of him unless he is given chance to bed into the side, for without which, he is missing a step of cohesion. Also the lack of consistent playing time leaves him eternally rusty. Yes yes! He was fine.

E.Micallef

Pssssst you all!!!! Are they still talking about the referee decisions on Friday????. I have been deliberately hibernating not to hear the moaning and victimisim. But then i sensed a small familiar anthem that said “the champions” and remembered we are the only italian team standing there and have an important match tomorrow. To the last 8 we go!!!!!! Love you all. Shhhhhhhhh dont say it to anyone else.

Xx RForcE xX

lol

Jaws

We should DEFINITELY kill it before. Those repeated second chances left to the opponents are simply frustrating!